Making useful graticules in printed maps

A graticule is a set of reference lines on a map that help orient a map reader. They are often set at and labeled with the coordinates. For traditional printed maps that are intended for navigation and surveying tasks where you want to mark the geographic coordinates, sometimes in multiple coordinate systems. This recipe is about adding such reference lines to a Print Composer map.

Getting ready

You will need a map, typically of a small area (several miles or km across). For this recipe, elevlid_D782_6.tif works well.

How to do it…

1. Load elevlid_D782_6.tif.
2. Turn on Projection on-the-fly by selecting UTM Zone 17 N, WGS 84 (EPSG:32617).
3. Now create New Print Composer.
4. In Print Composer, select Add New Map, and then draw a rectangle on the canvas.
5. Now that you have the map, in the dialogs on the right-hand side of the screen select the Item Properties tab.
6. Scroll down or collapse sections until you see the Grids section.
7. Use the green plus (+) symbol to...